How we Built Good Team Chemistry while Working Remotely
Recently, many companies have faced an enormous challenge - organizing remote or hybrid work. Smaller companies built remote work environments much quicker than large corporations. For them, it was much, much easier. Interestingly, even large organizations with millions of security measures, which strongly opposed the concentration of all employees in offices, learned that it might be a smart choice to operate in the remote work system, and now they are reducing their office space. The world had changed forever in terms of the organization of work. And there are several obstacles to overcome and many changes to be made.
However, most of the issues and obstacles did not concern us at all. By definition, we’re an organization that brings together people working from different places because we want a shared passion, not a shared office. So we didn't have to change anything. You might even say that we were prepared and built with remote work in mind. Still, just like other companies, we've been working on building a good team from the very beginning.
We worked hard to have the same level of employee engagement when they work 100% remotely and 100% in the office. In our case, lack of motivation is not a problem, especially when working remotely by choice, where no one is forced to work from home. Hobly is an organization that has operated in this way from the very beginning - we invite people who value independence in the earthly space and teamwork, and the need to share knowledge in the community.
Working in the office, we observe each other while performing our duties, but let's also get to know each other during a coffee break, lunch, and waiting for the elevator. There is no coffee machine in the remote office, but it’s still made up of the same people naturally living in society. We don't see each other every day, but that doesn't mean we don't see each other at all. For example, we get to know each other during several-day trips. Those trips are not only for integration and entertainment but also an excellent opportunity to create a temporary office and work together in one space.
We go to places where we all feel best - as close to nature as possible. We drive there with our company motorhome, which everyone can use individually for their journeys in the remaining time. During our evenings by the lake, we share our knowledge, discuss, and develop ideas for creating new tools. And thanks to the fact that we always have a mobile office with us - we can start working immediately. We visit each other because some of us - as remote fans - live in beautiful places, away from big cities and offices in skyscrapers. In this way, we also talk about our projects on mountain trails. Then we go our way while remaining a team and arrange situations very similar to those in the office.
Regular meetings are the most important thing to succeed in the remote work of the entire team. In this regard, home-office can even have an advantage over working in the office. Working in one space daily, you usually don’t see the need for meetings as we feel when working from different places around the world. In Hobly, we "meet" every week to solve all current problems, update project statuses and discuss ideas together as part of "brainstorming,” which perfectly systematizes our work. We give everyone a voice because every perspective is valuable to us and can bring value to the company. And since we communicate via the internet, it is natural for stations to jointly create online marketing content, which we share with the world as a company.
From the very beginning, our assumption was to dedicate our colleagues to decisions regarding the organization of their working time. Of course, there are times when we all have to be together, but when it comes to individual responsibilities - everyone is responsible for them alone. So we can work in any possible time zone. We're not saying that the best place to work is a desk with a comfortable chair (although it may be the best for some). We want everyone to feel at home at work. For some, it will be a couch; for some, it will be a desk; for others, it will be a coffee shop in the city; and for others, it will be a terrace overlooking the ocean.
In our case, this ocean, which was much less reachable for some time, became the obstacle. However, we already could work 100% remotely, thanks to which we could focus on what we always do - create new solutions with passion and share knowledge with each other. But we haven’t stopped celebrating the birthdays of our teammates?in as many online ways as possible.